The Feminization of Poverty.

This chapter examines the trends in men's and women's absolute and relative poverty rates in the U.S. between 1950 and 1996. The authors discuss and assess three explanations for the feminization of poverty, including Diana Pearce's claims that the meager welfare benefits led to the feminization of poverty. Sara McLanahan's argument that changing family structures were the principal culprit, and England's assertion that gains in women's earnings are beginning to close the gap. They end by reviewing cross-national evidence of the feminization of poverty. These comparisons show how family structure, earnings and government transfer programs have allowed some countries to avoid the feminization of poverty.